Food Culture and Tradition

SPECIAL OCCASIONS For the most part, Africans are part of a pastoral society and though many adhere to Christianity or Islam, they still, to a greater or lesser degree, retain elements of totemism and animism, and many of their special occasions revolve around the seasons, planting, and harvesting as well as family-life rituals. The land […]

DAIRY PRODUCTS Cow’s milk, goat’s milk, and sheep’s milk, taken plain or soured or in the form of curds and whey, are used as available. Most often they are used for infants and young children as part of soups, gruels, and puddings. The Masai herdsmen are known to drink a beverage of milk and animal […]

EAST AFRICAN Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique are five countries within the region known as East Africa. It is a region where strong British influence is still felt although few British or East Indians remain. Like West Africa, the vast expanses of land are inhabited by hundreds of differing peoples, each devoted to their rituals […]

SOUTH AFRICA While the West African nations combine the most sophisticated of European, New World, and their own indigenous food influences, and the area of East Africa is principally influenced by British, Indian and Islamic food traditions, South Africa is dominated by the influence of the Dutch. As early as 1651, Dutch settlers at the […]

WEST AFRICAN Long in touch with Europeans, and the most heavily populated area in Africa, West Africa includes Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Dahomey, Nigeria, Burkinafaso, and Cameroon. West African foods should not he a mystery to Americans, for it is from here that the slaves brought to North America […]

THE HORN OF AFRICA The Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Indian Ocean wash the eastern tip of Africa known as the Horn of Africa. In this region lies the legendary ancient lands of Ethiopia and Somalia. THE ETHIOPIANS Ethiopia’s very name conjures exotic visions of the Queen of Sheba, a legendary heritage […]

SOMALI The land of the Somalis consists of arid plains and plateaus, barren rugged mountains, and two main rivers under a harsh, hot and dry climate. The Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden, Ethiopia, and Kenya bound this area – the Horn of Africa. Archeological evidence indicates that the Somali people have occupied this region […]

Cookery methods rather than basic foods are what distinguish regional and ethnic dishes in Africa. Foods may be cooked over open fires or in pits heated with stones; either of these methods may be used indoors or outdoors. Commonly used cookery utensils include: perforated clay steamers, jugs and jars for storage, strainers, mortar and pestle, […]

MEALS AND CUSTOMS The majority of rural Africans customarily eat one main meal a day and this is usually the evening meal. Upon arising, coffee, tea or milk or curds may form a small light meal while some people may be content to nibble on seeds. Throughout the day snacks of fruits, seeds, or nuts […]

Although there are many ethnic groups in Africa, it is possible to make some generalizations about foods and food customs. In some areas, different names may be used but it is generally conceded that the principal African staple is a starchy mixture called fufu in western regions and ugali in east-ern areas. It is eaten […]